Samgyeopsal Ssam

Meet the meal

01

Samgyeopsal: the pork belly

Samgyeopsal is pork belly served grilled. Plain and marinated versions are different dishes; check the menu before ordering.

02

Ssam: the fresh wrap

Lettuce or perilla leaves hold a piece of cooked meat. Rice, scallion salad and garlic are optional additions, not a fixed recipe.

03

Ssamjang: start with a little

This seasoned soybean-and-chili paste adds savoury flavour and heat. Try a small amount first; ingredients differ by restaurant.

04

The table around the grill

Vegetables, kimchi and other side dishes may accompany the meat. The photograph is one example; rice, stew and refills are not automatically included.

Your first ssam, in four steps

1. 

   01

   Cook first

   Cook the pork thoroughly. Ask staff whether they grill for you, and keep raw-meat utensils separate from cooked food.

2. 

   02

   Choose a leaf

   Place a manageable lettuce or perilla leaf in your palm and add a piece of cooked pork.

3. 

   03

   Add your flavour

   Add a little ssamjang, then rice or vegetables if you like. Garlic and chili are optional.

4. 

   04

   Fold a small bite

   Fold the leaf around the filling. Keep it comfortably small; you do not need to pack everything into one wrap.

One cut, many ways to enjoy it

Try these ideas in order, or choose only what you like. Wrapping, dipping, grilling with sides and ordering a different pork-belly dish are separate choices; you do not have to combine everything.

1. 

   01 · Start with a fresh ssam

   Put thoroughly cooked pork on lettuce or perilla. Add a little paste and optional rice or vegetables, then fold into a comfortable bite. The four-step ssam guide above shows the basics.

2. 

   02 · Choose a dip, one at a time

   A wrap is optional: enjoy the cooked meat on its own with a small dab of your chosen dip. Compare the sauces below rather than mixing all of them together. Restaurant recipes and available condiments vary.

3. 

   03 · Add garlic to your next bite

   Add a slice of garlic to a wrap, or try grilled garlic beside the pork. Raw garlic has a sharper bite; cooking softens its flavour. Ask staff where garlic can be cooked on the restaurant’s grill.

4. 

   04 · Enjoy kimchi alongside the pork

   Try a little kimchi with a piece of cooked pork, or add it to your wrap. Some restaurants let you grill kimchi alongside the meat. Ask first: grill surfaces and house rules differ, and not every barbecue includes grilled kimchi.

5. 

   05 · Discover pork-and-kimchi stir-fry

   Pork and kimchi can also be stir-fried together, with vegetables and seasoning depending on the recipe. Pork belly is one option for this dish. This is a cooked dish in its own right, not simply a dip or a required final step of barbecue; ask whether the restaurant offers it.

6. 

   06 · Explore other pork-belly dishes

   Pork belly appears as plain grilled meat, gochujang-marinated barbecue, doenjang-marinated barbecue and enoki mushroom rolls. The marinades are prepared before cooking; choosing one is different from dipping plain grilled pork into a sauce. Availability varies by restaurant.

Doenjang · fermented soybean paste

Salty and savoury. If served as a dip, try only a little. Plain doenjang and seasoned ssamjang are different; ask which paste the restaurant has provided.

Ssamjang · seasoned wrap paste

Often combines doenjang with chili paste and aromatics such as garlic. Taste and heat vary. Use a small amount in a wrap or on cooked meat.

Salt dip · plain salt or sesame-oil salt

A little salt highlights the meat. A common version combines sesame oil and salt, sometimes pepper. Plain salt and sesame-oil salt are different options; sesame is an allergen.

Let dinner become a journey

Before you order